The Tennessee Department of Agriculture has confirmed the state's first case of partially Africanized honeybees in a bee colony in Monroe County.

The discovery was confirmed last week after the bee keeper notified a state inspector that his bees were acting aggressively. Samples from the hive were sent to a state laboratory in Florida for genetic testing, and those results showed the bees to be 17 percent Africanized.

The colony has been destroyed and state agricultural officials now are working with area bee- keepers to monitor their hives for aggressive behavior.

In addition, officials also will be on the lookout for aggressive behavior among wild bee colonies.